Apple’s Passbook: Mobile Local Search Identity Starts to Materialize

Last month, we covered the now well-known "Mapgate" snafu in Apple's iOS 6. Though this has lots of important implications for mobile local search (and for Google), it overshadowed other impactful features of the operating system. Chief among these is Passbook. Though it has gotten a nod from tech media and analyst corps, there's still a fair amount of confusion about its value and utility. This is particularly true at early stages, before there are legions of apps that demonstrate its capability. At a basic level, Passbook organizes digital loyalty cards, gift cards, tickets, and mobile payment standards. Unlike other standalone solutions, its advantages lie in its central position at the OS level, and its SDK for developers to build Passbook functionality into their apps. Walgreens, for example, allows users searching within its app to tie their rewards cards to Passbook...